A very important yet not too well documented corner of baseball history -
- interracial baseball prior to the arrival of Jackie Robinson on the scene
is the subject matter of
"Satch,
Dizzy & Rapid Robert" by Timothy Gay (Simon & Schuster, $26.00,349
pages).

We are there with Leroy "Satchel" Paige, Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean and Robert
William Andrew "Bob" Feller. We are there in the barnstorming and amidst
Jim Crow, there for the elation and joy and humor and also for the degradation,
hurt and racism. There are many never before told stories in this well researched
and important tome.

"Blows
To The Head" is a slim but fascinating and virtually inspirational story
by Binnie Klein (Suny Press, $19.95, 195 pages) all about as the book's sub-title
proclaims "how boxing changed my mind." The prime focus of this appealing
narrative is how in the mid 1950s the author, a Jewish psychotherapist, became
interweaved with boxing and in the process discovered so much about her roots.
A KNOCKOUT OF A BOOK

Back in the day there was arrogant and in-your-face Charlie Finley, possessor
of hype, hoopla and histrionics. He was the owner who moved his team from
KC to Oakland, winning three straight division titles, three World Series,
developing such players as Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers
and more.
"Charlie
Finley" by G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius,(Walker,)$27.00, 336
pages) could have used some tighter editing and perhaps 75 less pages;
nevertheless, it brings back a time, a place and one of baseball history's
more zany characters.

Douglas J. Gladstone's slim paperback
"A
Bitter Cup of Coffee (Word Association, $18.00, 192 pages) is a carefully
researched look at how MLB and the Players Association and the vexing issue
of 874 players who played in the Majors for that proverbial "cup of coffee"
and never were retroactively included in amended vesting requirements.